Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-13

No more unique, distinctive, and at the
same time popular character stands before
the people to-day than Ella Wheeler
Wilcox.
Born in g Wisconsin village some thirty
odd years ago, whea Wisconsin was net
much more than a frontier state, without
Influential friends or fSmily, end without
money, she inside for herself raInG IN
literature which commanded attention
before she was eighteen years old. To
one who knows iJ il detail her history
reads ike fairy story. Reared on
western prairie, she is In crnsmeDt to
the most brilliant circles OF the metTop-
olis.
Sac tad never seen On editor CT literary
person and knew nothing Of the methods
OF getting into print when, at fourteen,
she resd her first production 20 the press.
TIE New York Mercury published these
childish Efforts which were written II
prose and under nom-de-plumes.
Il declined the first poem she ever sent
for publication, and the editor sarcastic
silly advised her to "crush her ambitions
to be poet"
TIE Waverly Magazine has the honor
10 be the first 10 present the name CT Ella
W neelef 10 llS puUlIE'
Frank Leslie sent her the first check
she ever received 81 seventeen years OF
age,
From that time to the present day she
hiss never swerved nor fsltered II the
steady, hard climb to ward success.
She never sent 8 mSDuscr1pt IN her life
Tor criticism and never asked for cid Or
influence in her literary ventures.
10 Lao
Wheeler has PROBABLY been the most crit
icised, abused, praised, misconstrued and
| admired woman in the literary world.
! without particle OF effort to create
| sensation, everything she has in that
! time written has had the eject OF stirring
Up criticism.
| Her writings seem TO be possessed CT a
| certain something combustible il their
composition, that on striking outer air
| invariably renda it with more or less CT
an explosion.
| Her first published book was "DEOps Of
I Water," q collection OF juvenile temper
snce verses. These were crude but filed
with the dramatic enthusiasm which has so
permested her later work, and provoked
praise and censure in prOportionate qucn-
titles from TIE contenting forces Oh tee
| liquor question.
! "Shells," q little volume now out Of
print, comes rext.
| "Msurinre," by msny considered Ter
fiuest work, and the famous Poems OF
Passion which set the litersry world On
fire, followed within three years Of each
other.
Columns Of abuse ard praise Items rid
| iculiug end eul0gizipg the latter volume
filed all the papers in the ccuntry.
Some Of her friends urged her TO sup
press the book after It's first appearance,
| ont strong in the courage of her convic-
tons, she read the severe sid unjust re-
views through tears, not unmiXed with
smiles at sight of the golden coins which
puuctuated the comments Of the critics.
Many of these dollars were spent in
building home for aging parents, ard
much OF the halo now surrounding this
remarkable womsn's life is the reflection
of the generous deeds Of her early monied
! life.
Milwaukee people gave her "henefls"
in NAV, 1883, when she was made the sub
| Jet of speech by United States Sena-
tor and was presented with china basket
containing $500 in gold.
| Long before her happy marriage IN May
/ 1884, with the elegant and cultivated gen.
tleman who brought her 30 the east, her
narne was household word aud she Was
a welcome guest in the best circles Of the
great northeast.
To her rare genius were added unusual
graces of person. She was a brilliant
and tactiul talzer, good dancer, and